Method of preparing vegetable fibers.



PATENTED JUNE 4, 19 07 H. R. BUNNY. METHOD OF PREPARING VEGETABLBPIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1906.

. &e (20006675)- Attest:

ww A? process, and the fibers are 'n'nrrn Israns Parana onto HOWARDROGERS BUNNY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO REUBEN L.PRITCHARD, OF NEW YORK, N.

METHOD OF PREPARING VEGETABLEFlBERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Q Patented June 4., 1907.

Application filed June 27, 1906. Serial No. 323,719.

America, and a resident of the borough of.

Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in the Methods of Preparing VegetableFibers, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process for the treatment of vegetablefibers, being intended more particularly for the degumming anddecoloring of mechanically decorticated flaxfibers; and for decoloringflax fibers that have been subjected to the usual retting process.

By mechanical decortication the shive or chive is broken up, and thefibers are separated from the shive and from each other in the outerbast. These fibers are, however, incrusted with gum or'a gum resin, bywhich some of the fibers adhere to each other and remain matted withparticles of the broken shive. This incrustation of gum is a hindrancein the spinning of the fibers and in the manufacture of linen fabrics.The removal of the gum from the fibers by the process of retting is theresult of fermentation which takes place in the stalks when they areleft to soak in Water. This retting process is tedious, occupying fromseven to fourteen days, after which the stalks are spread out on thefield to be dried. The process of rotting is uncertain in time, as thefermentation upon which it depends is influenced by the outwardatmosphere and the temperature oithe water. It is an uncleanly and foulsmelling deteriorated by the process of fermentation or rotting goingontor several days all around them.

The improved process of removing the gum from the fibers is accomplishedin the short period of a few hours. It is cleanly, the fibers are notsubjected to the-injurious eil'ects of fermentation in their midst, andthey retain their inherent strength.

' In carrying out said. new process of degumming fibers whichdecorticated, but which are coated with gum, a mass of the fibers issubjected to movement in, or the movement of, Water of moderatetemperature that has been made alkaline and its solvency increased bythe addition of a borate salt of a metal of the alkairon or lime, sothat When they are present have been mechanically lies. The alkalineWater in conjunctirm with 5 the slight pressure from the movementaforesaid, dissolves the gummy or glut inous matter incrustingthe fibersand removes it from the fibers, leaving them clean and free.

In practice, a mass of fibers that have been mechanically separated asaforesaid, but in Which the gum or glutinous matter is stiil present, issubjected in a thin layer to side- Wise movement in, or the movement of,water of moderate temperature that has been rendered alkaline, asstated, suchsolution. permeating said thin layer of fibers and ,inconjunction with the slight pressure created by movement, dissolving thegummy or glutinous matter, thereby speedily removing- 7 such matter fromthe fibers. To prevent matting of these fibers while undergoing thedegumming process, a mass thereof placed in a foraminous cage or cagecomposed 'of open Wire netting, the fibers lying horizon- 7 tally insaid cage, and mechanical i'neans are provided i or moving said cage toand fro vertically Within the bath aforesaid. The same effect can beobtained by pressure of the alkaline Water forced a ainst the sides andthrough the mass of the fibers.

It has been found in practice that a solution of a borate of potash ofabout the strength of one to two grains to the ounce of Water, speedilyand el'licaciously dissolves the 8 5 gum about the fibers, the operationbeing expedited through thepressurc created by the movement reierred to,and occupying not more than several hours.

The Water of the bath should not contain.

the Water should be flax is placed in said be Warm and bland.

boiled, and when the bath, the'watcr shouid This process has beensuccessfully employed With the Water containing the borate at atemperature of about 70 F. lVhile the Warm-or moderate temperature ofthe water assists in the removal of the gum, I have found it unwise tomaterially increase the degree of heat for the 10o reason that shouldthe Water'be; for example, at boiling heat, the result would be torender the product harsh endless flexible and yielding.

' A range of temperature of from 70" F. to 105;

F. has no deleterious influence upon the charact'erof the fibers, 1 v IIn treating a quantity of fiax, a cage can;

taming a series of closed shallow trays has them to sidewisereciprocating movement in been employed, each tray capable of conormovement of the bath, thus provides 'taining a layer of fibers, the topsand botmoving contact between .the individual 4 toms of the cage andtrays being foraminous fibers and the bath, and the foregoing de- 5 orof open work as in the path of the movescription of an apparatus and itsdirection of 7c ment or pressure applied, and closed at the movement ismerely indicative of a practical sides for the purpose of insuring thepassage example in the performance of the process. of the solution throuh the fibers, and of pre- If the fibers were bunched and moved side--venting diversion of uid ressure. In other wise in the bath the fluidwouldnot so read:

words, when such cage containing-the several ily pass between thefibers, as is obvious; 7 layers of fibers is moved vertically in thewhile, if moved longitudinally, the same 015- 1 bath, the fluid mustpass through said layers j ection would obtain, and the gummy matterwithout being divertedor allowed to escape be forced into the interiorof the'bundle.

at the sides of said cage. After undergoing the vaforesaid de um- Inillustration of a form of mechanical deming process the fibers are foundto still re- 8 vicc'which maybe employed in carrying out tain theircoloring matter, the removal my process, I have annexed hereto a sheetof whereof, without resorting to the usuai tedidrawings, wherein ousoperation of bleaching, comprises an- Eigure l is a vertical, sectionalview of a other step in the present process, In accom- 2o bathcontaining a cage having trays for the plishing' this objectthe cagecontaining the fibers, the cage being shown partially degummed fibers isplaced in a bath containbrokenaway. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ingsaponified water, which may beat a temtaken on the line122 of Fig. 1,and Fig.3 is perature of about F., and the fibers suba perspective Viewof one of the trays. j ected to sidewise movement in or the move I Insaid figures the letter aindicates a tank ment of said. bath;whereby,-within a short 90 of any suitable form, and 11 indicates acagev period of time the coloring matter is removed having a handle bwith attaching eyefrom .the fibers. Less than an hour has let 6*, andsupporting base flange 6''. The served in the performance of this step.

-,,cage 12 comprises a rectangular receptacle The proportionatequantity'of soap to be i '0 whose base I) is provided with a series ofdissolved in the bath for the purpose of de- 9 5 openingsb and whose topIf is provided with coloring the fibers varies according to the paraseries of openings b". One of the sides orticular quality of the flaxundergoing treatthe top of the cage may be removable, and I ment, butcan be easily ascertained, it being have shdmi the top as provided witha han only necessary to render the bath sapona- 5 dle I)? by which; itmay be removed to insert ceous to a suitable degree. we

and withdraw the trays, swinginglugs as b The above noted stepofeffecting decoloriretaining this cover in place when the device zationof the fibers is not limited'to employis in use; The trays to containthe fibers ment with mechanically deccrti'cated fibers, have surroundingwalls 0- and a foraminous but may also be used efiicient-ly in the caseof 40 base 0. These trays are placed, one on top fibers that have beenretted, (but not decol- 1o 5 of another within thevcage b, and the cageored) in the usual manner. cover b being fitted and secured thereover,In some instances, where it is desiredrto the device is then inreadiness for use. i expedite the operations aforesaid, the sepa- Asufficient quantity of the fibers is placed rate steps of degumming anddecoloring de- 5 within the trays to fill the latter so that thecorticated fibers may be performed in a-sintop of the layer of fibers ineach tray comes gle bath.- Tov this end the bath, rendered against theunder surface of the bottom of alkaline by the addition of a borate saltof a the next upper tray, or in the case of the top' metal of thealkali'es, and at a temperature of tray the fibers therein come againstthe cage 95 F., or thereabout, has a quota of soap -;o top By this meansthe fibers are prevented dissolved therein; and the decorticated fibers,1 15 i from such individual movement as might in the manner previouslydescribed, are subcause them 'to become tangled or matted. jected tomovement in or the movement of In other words, the individual fibers ofa said bath for a sufficient" length of time. layer the'reol, containedin a tray are main- Less than half an hour has served.

55 tained in parallelism, I this being an im orv The gummy and colorinmatter being distant feature as it prevents waste in heck ing solved asdescribed, the'fibers are removed and permits the heckling to be carriedout ina from the bath and from theircontainer, then satisfactory manner.being passed through plain rollers, as d e, to

, d .erepresen-t a pair of rollers pivoted in a squeeze out thedissolved gummy and color oof'brecket f, which maybe attached to the ingmatter; thereafter, the fibers, which may tank a, said rollers beingintended for the be again contained in layers in a foraminous passagetherebetween .oi' the treated fibers, ca e, are placed in a bath ofclear water, and

' to s uee'ze out therefromextraneous matter. su jected to movement m orthe movement T 1e purpose of the cage and trays being to of said bath tocleanse them from all ad- 6 5 support the'fibers in thin layers andsubmit llerent extraneous matter. The fibers W1 0 sewer.

then be found to be finely sepereted, free from gum and resinous matter,and to present e White or grayish White eppeareiiee. I eiaim:

1. The method of degrumning deeortiezited vegetable fibers whichconsists-iii L lflCit v a layer of loose fibers in swarm bath '1alkaline by a Week solirtien of ii beret-e s and creating pressurebetween said bat-l1 and 2. The method of degunmiing riec'ezti n y lvegetable fibers wlrieh consists in plat Jig iayer of loose fibers in aWarm b alkaline by a Week solution of e :5 and creating Pressure againstside of se fibers l t moving them in said bath,

3 The method of degumming and deceloring decortieated vegetable fiberswhich sists in (1st) placing a layer of loose 20 Warm bath made alkalineby tion of e borate salt, (2nd) (YER-i i between said bath and fibers,(fire) the degumnied. fibers in a seponeceou' I. and (4th) creatingpressure betel i said.

25 bath and fibers.

t. The method of deeolori ig separated vegetable fibers which consistsin (1st) re' creating pressure between said bath and :l'ibers.

The imatliod degiimining and decolordeeortieeted vegetable fibersWhich.00nis in placing ofl loose fibers in a 5 made eilzeiiue by a weaksolutin salt and se'ponified; and creating ssiire between said bath and.fibers.

The nietlied of deguinming and decolordeeortiezited vegetable fiberswhich con- 40 is plaeii g; e layer of loose fibers in a -.Jill btttilmade alkaline by a week solution 5 and seponiiied creating presaid bathand fibers; then 202 the dissnlved matter from said545 and finallyWashing and drying said d di ,W York, this 22nd day of )(Mi HOWARDROGERS BUNNY.

Vi'itiiesses: V

FREDERICK BUNNY, T r ii. W.

